Overview
- Magistrate Antonio Piña of Spain’s Audiencia Nacional inadmitted the querella, preventing the opening of a criminal proceeding against former prime minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero.
- Hazte Oír had accused Zapatero of drug trafficking, money laundering, and membership in a criminal organization tied to Nicolás Maduro and the Venezuelan regime.
- The court found the allegations were drawn from open sources and media reports and warned that personal beliefs cannot substitute for facts sufficient to start a criminal case.
- Anti-Drug prosecutor Javier Redondo urged dismissal, calling the claims conjecture and noting that a U.S. case against Nicolás Maduro does not imply Zapatero’s involvement.
- After the prosecutor’s stance became public, Hazte Oír announced an amended filing with new coercion allegations, but no investigation of Zapatero has been opened.